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Ranking Florida basketball's toughest 2026-27 non-conference games
Florida basketball has released the majority of its schedule for next season.
The announcement came roughly two weeks after the SEC released its conference matchups for the coming season.
After last year’s slate featured no marquee home games outside SEC play, Gators head coach Todd Golden admitted he wished he could have created more balance. UF’s pivotal matchups were on the road or in neutral-site tournaments, all of which ended in losses to UConn, Duke and Arizona.
In the offseason, Golden told reporters that an ideal schedule would be a cross between the last two seasons. Florida had no trouble with its buy games last season, going as the Gators were perfect at home in the non-conference. It appears Golden put together a more balanced schedule with a more manageable mix of résumé-building games and buy games.
Here’s a breakdown of which of Florida’s non-conference games will be the toughest and where they could stand analytically.
Which of Florida’s buy games are the toughest?
Last season, the Gators’ five buy games held an average KenPom rating of 278.4. This year’s six buy-game opponents average a 250.5 rating, but two games remain to be announced by UF. One of the opponents is reportedly against Georgia Tech.
Without question, the most intriguing game will be against Long Island. LIU coach Rod Strickland went 3-26 his first year and, in four years, orchestrated a 24-11 season and a trip to the NCAA tournament.
Last season, the Sharks nearly defeated Mississippi State after trailing by one at the half on the road, but came up short, 87-83. LIU also gave Georgia a run for its money as the Sharks led by three at the half but were defeated 89-74.Florida will again face Merrimack, which the Gators defeated 80-45. However, among the buy games, the Warriors had the highest KenPom rating and posted a 23-11 record.
The next toughest will be Vermont, which finished with a 22-12 record, but ended with a rating of 239. UF holds an all-time record of 3-0 against the Catamounts.
Florida A&M and Jacksonville split games last year, but the Rattlers closed out the year winning seven of their last 10 games. Jacksonville and Milwaukee round out the current list of buy game opponents.
Ranking the toughest to easiest:
LIU (24-11 overall record, No. 216 Last season KenPom rating)
Vermont (22-12, No. 239)
Merrimack (23-11, No. 177)
Florida A&M (15-16, No. 308)
Jacksonville (12-20, No. 395)
Milwaukee (12-20, No. 268)
Which of Florida’s resume-building games are the toughest?
Florida’s schedule last year featured Murderers' Row against top-five-ranked teams. Last season, Gators’ résumé-building games held an average KenPom of 37.8.
The Players Era tournament skews the final number for this coming season, with two games yet to be determined. Depending on the bracket, the Gators could face Houston and Kansas. If Florida matches up with both, then UF could face four different non-conference opponents that reached the NCAA tournament last year.
The standout game on this year’s non-conference schedule is against Duke. Last year, Florida fell short to the Blue Devils 67-66 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Gators will get the chance to return the favor as they host Duke, which reached the Elite Eight last year, in the O’Dome this season.
Miami perhaps had one of the best seasons for a first-year coach in the country. The Gators did handle Miami 82-68 in Jacksonville. However, Jai Lucas led the Canes to a 26-9 season and an appearance in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
From there, the second and third games of the Players ERA tournament in Las Vegas will be critical in building UF’s resume.
Rankings the toughest to easiest :
Duke (35-3 overall ranking, 3 KenPom rating)
Miami (26-9, No. 30)
Kansas (No. 21) | Auburn (No. 36) | West Virginia (No. 55) | UNLV (No. 104)
Houston (30-7, No. 4) | Rutgers (14-20, No. 125)
Florida State (18-15, No. 62)
Notre Dame (13-18, No. 93)
Georgia Tech (11-20, No. 169)
Reach Florida Gators writer Andrew Abadie at [email protected] or on X (formerly Twitter) at @AndrewAbadie . You can also find him on Facebook at Andrew Abadie Sports Reporter or on Instagram @andrewabadie_sports .
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Ranking Florida basketball's toughest 2026-27 non-conference games
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